Is Anything Thicker than Blood
by ash005
Summary: When a failed attempt to create a vaccine that cures tetanus begins to infect the innocent people of America, pharmacies around the glode struggle to find a way to exterminate the virus. Clara and her best friend Jess are forced to survive off the grid with little to no knowledge of the wilderness. How will things turn out?
1. IATTB ch1

**Prologue **

It was an unusually hot day, smack in the middle of June. I had been sitting with my mom and dad on the sofa while listening to the news. My my little sister who had just turned eleven months cooed as I held her close to my chest. Despite having my family at my side, my heart wrenched as the emergency broadcast boomed from the TV.

"Citizens of Oakville, the infected have now entered the town. The virus is very deadly if left untreated for an extended period of time, it can and will become fatal. The virus is transmitted only through saliva and blood. If an infected bites you or gets its blood on you, rinse yourself thoroughly and seek immediate medical treatment." My dad gave my mom a look of horror, and whipped out our first aid kit and backpacks. And that's when I knew...it wouldn't be long before my home town was infested. My name is Clara Brown, and this is my story.

**Chapter one**

The groans of infected tainted my dreams as I slept. There had been no where else to stay, so Jess and I decided to make camp in a tree. Convenient right? The sweltering August wind blasted my face.

"Clara, keep your voice low, but look to your right." Shaking my head in confusion, I blinked sleepy goop from my tired eyes. Jess, who had been strapped down on a thick branch just below me, pointed her finger to something in the distance.

I whimpered with agony as I spotted the disgusting sight of an infected. In the darkness of night, I couldn't tell if was a male or female, but I could barely make out the peeling skin on its face. The skin had gained a green-ish tint, and a cloudy haze glazed its eyes. The small area around the bridge of the nose had begun to peel away into little flakes. An odd liquid with to consistency of mud oozed from beneath the skin and blood spattered on its torn shirt. A shudder trickled down my spine. _I wonder whose blood that is? Whoever, God bless their soul._

"Poor thing, it must be fresh." Jess glanced at me. I had to explain to her how I could tell.

"Look at the skin. See how it's only peeling on the face and nose? That means its only been infected for a short period of time. The more skin that peels, the longer it's been infected." Seeming to comprehend my words, Jess leaned her head against the dense trunk of the tree. Before I let myself drift off into sleep, I went over all the information I knew about the virus._ Alright, let me see here. It was cultured in a lab and they intended for it to be a vaccine to cure tetanus, but it failed and mutated, causing the skin to peel away, and destroy the brain. The virus can be transmitted through blood and saliva, so no sharing food unless absolutely necessary. Oh yeah, no kissing anyone! _Just as I finished recapping, my little sister, Finch, began to stir underneath my sleeping bag." Her little body rocked the branch ever so slightly. My sleeping bag, which had been strapped securely to the branch, ruffled in the wind. I pulled the cover up only to see her beautiful face smiling up at me.

"Sissy!" She squealed. Covering her mouth with my hand, I turned to watch the nearby infected. It continued to move away from us, taking small clumsy steps. Finch poked her head out from under the cover and smiled.

"Shh. It's not playtime Finch. There is an infected near, so you have to be quiet." A lock of her smooth , hazelnut hair fell over her eye. She pursed her lips and gave me the pouty eyes.

"Oh alright. Lay down." I leaned against the tree and slid my legs forward, allowing my back to become comfortable. Finch layed her head down on my stomach. The rhythm of my breathing put her to sleep in a matter of minutes. I made sure to pull the cover all the way up, concealing her completely. Resting my right hand on my lap, I put my left under the cover and on Finch's back. As the groan of the nearby infected grew silent, my mind was put at ease. That was the last thing I remember before falling asleep.

The sun blazed regally in the sky, showering my face with warmth. Suddenly, I felt a hard _thunk _on my forehead. Shooting my eyes open, I noticed a squirrel scampering up the tree. For a moment, I forgot where I was and had to gather my thoughts. My belly grumbled with hunger. Both Finch and Jess were still fast asleep, far away in the safe land of sleep. Looking over my shoulder, I called for Jess to wake up.

"Jess, wake up. It's morning and the infected are hiding." My voice was hoarse and scratchy.

"Ugh, do I have to get up? I was having the greatest dream." Her mouth stretched into a wide yawn. Jess's ear length hair had become frizzy from the August heat.

"Go ahead and unstrap your sleeping bag and climb down. I'll be down as soon as I wake Finch up." The _clink_ of the straps let me know she had heard me. I scratched my cheek and pulled my shoulder length red hair back into a low ponytail. Locusts chirped in the trees and birds flew in the bright blue sky.

"Finch, it's time to wake up. We need to get a move on sweetie." I whispered calmly in a soothing voice, pushing back the covers. Jess rolled up her sleeping bag, stuffing her blanket inside, then tossed it to the ground with a _whoosh_. Finch sat up and rubbed her eyes. Since we were only about ten feet off the ground, I prepared to hand Finch off to Jess.

"Jess, dig around in my pack and hand me the

baby sling." I called out. Jess held on to the branch tightly then flung herself the the ground. Our packs sat side by side at the base of the tree. Jess's pack was gray with various stains and mine was black with a hole in the top. My parents loved going on camping trips...before they became infected. So when one of the infected somehow got into our home, I had just enough time to grab the pack, stuff a few supplies into it, and run to Jess's house.

"Is this what you wanted?" I looked down at Jess who was waving a flimsy piece of fabric with plastic clips in the air. _Ah, perfect. _Nodding to her, I grasped Finch by her shoulders and called out to Jess.

"Once you get your pack on, will you catch Finch? She's still sleepy so I'm gonna keep her in the sling today." I said sweetly. Jess shoved her sleeping bag into the main section of her pack and threw it over her shoulder, dropping the sling. It made a crunchy sound as it settled on the dead, crispy leaves of the forest floor.

"Alright, pass her down." Jess had her blazing green eyes set on my sister's small body as I carefully leaned over and dropped her. As Finch collided with Jess's hands, I unstrapped myself and tossed my stuff to the ground. Just as I dropped down from my branch, I slit my thumb on the course bark of the tree. Small droplets of blood welled around the cut.

"_Sssss_! Ouch, I'd better get this fixed up." Jess gazed at me with a concerned face. I figured she was just worried about the scent of my blood reaching the infected. They're just like sharks, going insane over the smallest bit of blood.

"I'll be fine Jess. A bandage and a bit of antibiotic cream will keep it at bay." She let out a sigh of relief as I balled up my small blanket and sleeping bag. After neatly packing it up, I pilfered around in the smallest pocket of my pack, pulling out the needed medical supplies. Finch moaned sleepily in Jess's gentle arms. Once my finger was bandaged, I returned the supplies to their pocket, threw my pack over my shoulder, and then put on the sling. I had Jess slip Finch's legs through the holes and strap her in. On the back of the sling, a small strip of fabric was attached by cheap thread. I pulled the flap over her head and secured it to the velcro on the opposite side.

"So where do we go now? If anything, we should look for some kind of shelter. I am _sick_ of sleeping in trees." Jess complained. She was right. We were both sick of sleeping in trees. I took a moment to think about any possibilities.

"I suppose we should just continue moving forward. But we do need to find food and water."

"Yeah, my canteen is nearly empty and I've completely run out of those plants we found last week. What were they called again?" Jess asked, scratching her head. The pack, although light, tugged at my back while I stood.

"I think they're called plantains. If I recall, you should only eat the young, tender leaves before they get tough."

"Whatever they are, they sure taste bad." She adjusted her pack and smoothed her blonde hair..

"Shall we get a move on?" I asked, getting a blast of hot wind in my face. Jess nodded, and we set off with our stuff in search of food and water.


	2. Hehe

**Okay, so I've decided not to continue on with this story. I don't know enough about the game Resident Evil, so I see no point in writing more chapters. Have a good day :)**


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